Rooted in Experience
The first thing visitors notice at CFAES Wooster these days might be the construction — steel beams rising, turf being laid and equipment rumbling across the landscape. But underneath the buzz of activity is something deeper: a transformation initiative rooted in alumni support, educational innovation and a unified vision for the future.
Once seen as separate entities — ATI, the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, and OSU Extension — CFAES Wooster is now a fully integrated hub for teaching, research and outreach. That evolution is intentional, led by Dean Kress. The campus is also now home to the Transformation of American Rubber through Domestic Innovation for Supply Security (TARDISS), a National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Center (ERC) — the only NSF ERC headquartered at a regional campus and the only one awarded to a college of agriculture.
Through the leadership of Distinguished University Professor Judit Puskas and Ajay Shah, both CFAES Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering faculty, TARDISS brings together experts from agriculture, bioscience and engineering to advance domestic natural rubber production — demonstrating how collaboration leads to lasting impact for students, research and American industry and helping to position CFAES Wooster as a leader in research and supply chain innovation.
The CFAES Wooster transformation initiative ensures that ATI students have direct access to world-class research and outreach, creating a model of hands-on education unlike any other in the country.
“This initiative directly supports our commitment to hands-on education and technical excellence,” said Jon Witter ’06 PhD, associate professor and ATI interim assistant dean and director. “It’s a prime example of how real-world, field-based learning prepares students for the evolving needs of the industry.”
Few projects illustrate that better than what’s happening on the campus’s rolling greens, where ATI alumnus Craig Schreiner ’84 AS is donating his time to design and shape a three-hole regulation golf course. Schreiner, a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects and the American Society of Landscape Architects, is housed temporarily on campus in an Ohio-built Airstream trailer, volunteering his expertise to give students an unmatched turfgrass management experience.
“This is the program that opened my eyes to the real importance of firsthand experience,” Schreiner said. “It laid the foundation for a very successful 40-year career. Giving back now — it just feels right.”
The course is part of a $1.8 million investment in the turfgrass program at CFAES Wooster. The project includes a new athletic field, the golf course and the James L. Prusa Turfgrass Innovation Lab — named in honor of James L. Prusa, whose ATI alumnus son John C. ’75 AAS and daughter-in-law Mary T. Prusa gifted $850,000 to help make the lab possible.
Ryan DeMay ’04 AAS, ’08 BS, another ATI alumnus, also helped lead fundraising efforts for the facilities, where students will gain experience in design, drainage, irrigation, turfgrass selection and maintenance. The turfgrass facilities will also support workforce training through OSU Extension and will strengthen industry partnerships across Ohio.
“This isn’t just a golf course. It’s a living laboratory — and a symbol of what’s possible when alumni invest in the future,” Schreiner said.
From TARDISS to turf, CFAES Wooster embeds research within education, giving students access to faculty, facilities and real-world challenges from day one. Through shared infrastructure, collaborative programs and an expanding alumni network, the campus models how to integrate academics, science and service in meaningful ways.